The Clerkhttp://haverfordclerk.com
Haverford's Independent Student NewspaperMon, 30 Mar 2015 05:00:44 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1PHOTO ESSAY: Last Ever Donuts with Danhttp://haverfordclerk.com/photo-essay-last-ever-donuts-with-dan/
http://haverfordclerk.com/photo-essay-last-ever-donuts-with-dan/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 05:00:44 +0000Rebecca Fisherhttp://haverfordclerk.com/?p=4744The last ever Donuts with Dan took place this past Wednesday, March 25 in the DC Sunken Lounge. Students gathered to discuss the Smoking Policy, student spaces, and the Strategic Plan and, of course, to eat donuts.

]]>http://haverfordclerk.com/photo-essay-last-ever-donuts-with-dan/feed/1Haverford’s Guest Rooms Uncoveredhttp://haverfordclerk.com/haverfords-guest-rooms-uncovered/
http://haverfordclerk.com/haverfords-guest-rooms-uncovered/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 04:55:36 +0000Ben Horwitzhttp://haverfordclerk.com/?p=4745 Ever wonder what exactly is inside Haverford’s guest rooms? If you are like most students, you probably don’t even know that they exist. Recently, The Clerk sat down with Geoffrey Labe, the Conferences, Events & Campus Center Services Director, who shed some light on these secluded lodgings.

The guest rooms are located on the third floor of the John C. Whitehead ‘43 Campus Center. While there are only five guest rooms in the Campus Center, some Haverford College Apartments have been retrofitted to function as guest rooms should additional space be needed to host visitors.

Mr. Labe explained that these accommodations are almost always entirely filled throughout the school year and summer, as they are consistently requested by academic departments when hosting a speaker or an event. It is very uncommon for anyone other than distinguished visitors to stay in the rooms, as the bookings are often made over a year in advance. For guests not invited by the college, a room costs $115 a night.

According to Haverford’s website, “Each guest room has two twin beds, a personal refrigerator, cable TV, an ethernet cable, a phone for local calling (a calling card is required for all long-distance calling), a private bathroom with hairdryer and an iron/ironing board.” In many ways, Haverford’s guest rooms align with the “Quaker Aesthetic” of the college— with very modest and understated upholstery and artwork.

Guest accommodations and guest rooms are a staple at most colleges— including within the rest of the Tri-Co.

Bryn Mawr’s historic Wyndham Alumnae House was built in 1796 as a farmhouse for a Quaker widow, and continues to function as a Bed and Breakfast on campus. The Alumnae House also includes a restaurant and catering service, and has hosted celebrities including actress Katharine Hepburn and Supreme Justice Sandra Day O’Connor since the college purchased the farmhouse in 1926. While rooms at Wyndham are usually reserved well in advance (with preference given to invited guests of the college), visitors may attempt to reserve a room for $133 a night.

Swarthmore’s Ashton House, located in the northernmost part of the campus, can accommodate up to eleven guests in its six guest rooms. Like the guest rooms at Haverford and Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore’s accommodations are typically reserved for invited guests of the college and are booked well in advance.

While Haverford’s guest rooms are routinely unavailable, interested parties may view pictures of these rooms as well the guest rooms at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore.

A student contacted Campus Safety regarding another student located in the basement of the Magill Library who was experiencing a medical emergency. Paramedics requested. Student transported to Bryn Mawr Hospital by ambulance. Nurse on Call and Graduate Assistant notified.

Saturday, March 21st

11:16 p.m. Suspicious Persons Lloyd Hall

A student at Lloyd reported Villanova Students harassing people on campus. Area checked but no one was located.

11:45 p.m. Alcohol Illness Lloyd Hall

A report was received of a student experiencing an alcohol related illness at Lloyd Hall. The Nurse on Call was notified and cleared the student to remain on campus under supervision.

11:53 p.m. Alcohol Illness Dining Center

A report was received of a student experiencing an alcohol related illness at the Dining Center. The student was transported to Bryn Mawr Hospital by ambulance. The Nurse on Call and Graduate Assistant were notified.

Sunday, March 22nd

1:13 a.m. Suspicious Activity Lunt Hall

A student requested an escort for alcohol impaired friend, who was in the basement of Lunt Hall. Officers responded but were unable to locate anyone in distress.

1:29 a.m. Suspicious Activity Barclay Hall

A student reported seeing two males carrying a stop sign into Barclay Hall. Officer investigated but was unable to locate any person(s) or sign at Barclay. A stop sign was discovered missing from the intersection of the HCA Trail and Coursey Road.

Wednesday, March 25th

12:45 p.m. Theft from Buildings Founders Hall

A staff member reported his laptop stolen from an office in Founders. Haverford & Lower Merion Police advised of the incident. Individual located, identified and arrested several minutes later.

11:13 p.m. Personal Illness Comfort Hall

Student reported loud music coming from 46 Hannum Dr. Students turned down the music upon request.

Thursday, March 26th

9:13 a.m. Suspicious Person Jones Hall

A student reported a suspicious male in Jones Hall. When Campus Safety located the subject, the subject fled but was detained by Campus Safety a short time later. He was taken into custody by the Haverford Township Police.

11:42 a.m. Burglary Jones Hall

A student reported money taken from his room in Jones Hall (related to prior incident). Suspect was arrested.

1:22 p.m. Suspicious Circumstances Drinker Hall

A screen was found cut at Drinker. It is unknown if someone was trying to gain entry.

]]>http://haverfordclerk.com/security-summary-320-326/feed/0Health Studies Minor Goes Viralhttp://haverfordclerk.com/health-studies-minor-goes-viral/
http://haverfordclerk.com/health-studies-minor-goes-viral/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2015 03:53:39 +0000Kelley Riffenburghhttp://haverfordclerk.com/?p=4730You may have never heard of it, but the Bi-Co is offering a new health studies minor which has already become popular with students from a range of disciplines.

Director of Health Studies Kaye Edwards explained that health studies is an “emerging field in undergraduate education,” and said that there was “clearly student interest” in the subject at Haverford. In 2009, five students formed independent majors related to health studies. Faculty from the anthropology, biology, psychology and many other departments developed the minor after recognizing that students would benefit from a more structured program instead of having to cobble together classes on their own.

Christopher Roebuck, a visiting assistant professor of anthropology who co-teaches Introduction to Health Studies alongside Edwards, explained that the minor expands on notions of health, recognizing that “public health problems are complicated and multifactorial.”

Modeled on the successful Environmental Studies program, the Health Studies minor requires taking an introductory course, four electives, and a capstone course during one’s senior year.

Students must take at least one course in each of three core tracks: M (mechanisms), S (structures), and R (representations). The M track focuses on the mechanisms of disease and the maintenance of the healthy body, the S track looks at responses of familial, social, civic and governmental structures to issues of health and disease, and the R track examines cultural, literary and visual representations of health and illness. Broadly speaking, the M track tends to align with natural science courses, while the S track often encompasses social science classes and the R track emphasizes humanities.

Marie Vastola ’16 is one of 16 students who declared a minor in health studies last spring. She described the core tracks as “the most challenging but also the most rewarding aspect of the minor.” As a biology major, Vastola tends be more comfortable with the M track, but she acknowledged that the minor’s interdisciplinary emphasis “pushes me outside of my comfort zone” and encourages her “to consider new ways of thinking.” Vastola explained that encountering students from a wide variety of backgrounds is “what helps us broaden our views.”

True to form, the first batch of health studies students represents a spectrum of disciplines including anthropology, biology, chemistry, psychology, Spanish, and religion. Current seniors like Leah Hollander ’15 were unable to take part in the minor because the capstone course will not be offered until next spring. A biology major and anthropology minor, Hollander was glad the program was finally created since “there’s been a lot of desire for this for a long time.”

According to Hollander, one of the greatest benefits of the health studies minor is that it informs students of a variety of health-based careers. She expressed that “there are a lot of people who are interested in health but not necessarily interested in going pre-med…we need people in other aspects of public health.” Hollander hopes that the Health Studies minor will facilitate work in fields like health activism and community-based health work.

Increasing enrollment shows that student interest in health studies is growing. Last spring, when Introduction to Health Studies was offered for the first time, 27 students enrolled. This year, 39 students registered. Is it any surprise that the health minor is becoming infectious?

]]>http://haverfordclerk.com/health-studies-minor-goes-viral/feed/0BiCo Thefts Prompt Campus Wide Warninghttp://haverfordclerk.com/bico-thefts-prompt-campus-wide-warning/
http://haverfordclerk.com/bico-thefts-prompt-campus-wide-warning/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 00:43:55 +0000Maggie Heffernanhttp://haverfordclerk.com/?p=4725Two attempted thefts were reported at Haverford and Bryn Mawr, respectively, on Thursday, March 26. While these incidents are not believed to be connected, the theft at Haverford may be related to other thefts that have occurred on campus in the past few weeks.

According to a campus-wide email sent by Campus Safety Director Tom King this morning, “several students observed a suspicious person in Jones Hall” a little after 9am. When Campus Safety arrived at the scene and confronted the male, the suspect “fled in the direction of the South Lot, throwing cash and a backpack onto the ground along the way.”

The individual was detained until Haverford Township Police came and arrested the subject.

In the late afternoon, Tom King sent another campus-wide email notifying students of a woman who was apprehended while leaving Bryn Mawr’s campus around 4pm. The individual was carrying “a bag full of electronics (laptops, iPads, iPods, phones), IDs, passports, etc.” that had been taken from dorm rooms on campus. This suspect was also arrested.

The individual arrested on Haverford’s campus is also being investigated for the thefts that occurred in Gummere last week.

The first two of these thefts were reported on Wednesday, March 11. One student reported that his wallet, cash and cell phone were taken from his room sometime earlier that morning, while the other student reported that missing items were stolen from her unlocked room while she was away for Spring Break.

On Sunday, March 15 at 2:26 pm, another student reported that her wallet was stolen from her room in Gummere.

Students and faculty are reminded to “keep your dorm rooms and offices locked, even when leaving for brief amounts of time.”

A student reported loud music coming from Leeds first floor. Music turned down upon officer’s request.

Sunday, March 15th

2:26 p.m. Theft Gummere Hall

Student reported her wallet was stolen from her room at Gummere Hall. Item was left in her dorm room on March 6, 2015 and was found to be missing upon her arrival to campus from Spring Break on March 15, 2015 at 2:30 PM. Haverford Township Police were contacted for a report. **The incident is believed to be related to previously reported burglaries on 3/11/15.

Tuesday, March 17th

2:45 p.m. Suspicious Person Hannum Drive

A report was received of a suspicious person in the area of 26 Hannum Drive attempting to sell drugs. The male was later observed in front of Stokes Hall again attempting to sell drugs.

3:32 p.m. Vandalism 34 & 38 Hannum Dr.

The One Card Administrator reported vandalism to the basement door alarms at 34 and 38 Hannum Drive. The alarm company was contacted for repairs.

8:41 p.m. Check on Wellbeing Gummere Hall

A student was reported missing by a Customs Person from Gummere Hall and later was found by other students sleeping in another room. Lt. Murray and the Dean on Call were contacted.

11:42 p.m. Unauthorized Use Kannerstein Field

Officer found four students drinking alcohol on top of the dugout on Kannerstein Field. Individuals were advised that they were not allowed to do so. Individuals left the area.

Wednesday, March 18th

8:46 p.m. Suspicious Person Hilles Hall

A professor reported a suspicious male walking through Hilles Hall. Officers checked the building for the suspect, but did not locate him.

7:28 p.m. Burglary Gummere Hall

Student reported someone took items from her unlocked room at Gummere Hall while she was away for break. The incident is related to the earlier reported burglary. Police report filed.

This week for “Professor’s Pooches,” we went for a walk along the Nature Trail with Joshua Moses, Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology, and his dogs, Merv and Uppik.

Pooches

Merv, whose formal name is Nelu Jack (which means “comfort” in Inuktitut) is now fifteen months old. Professor Moses soon realized after adopting Merv, however, that the pooch was not exactly comforting, but “more of a mischief maker.” Merv is a Welsh name, and is half-brothers with Uppik (the pooches share the same mom).

Uppik has been with Professor Moses for a considerably longer amount of time than Merv. While doing fieldwork in Canada in 2001, Moses encountered the dog tied to a fence in someone’s front yard. He later learned that Uppik was between owners, and joked that if no one wanted him, he would gladly take him. The following day, Moses received a serious email stating that Uppik was officially his. The professor openly admits that he had “absolutely no plans to adopt a giant dog” at the time, and that he hadn’t exactly figured where he was going to live next either.

Uppik was also not too thrilled about staying with Professor Moses. For roughly ten days, Uppik refused to let Professor Moses touch him. The pooch slept outside, and Moses would only interact with him to serve him food. Uppik eventually learned that he was safe, however, and gradually began to show Moses some affection.

Nowadays, both dogs and owner are close. Uppik has connected with his musical side, and howls along whenever Professor Moses plays the accordion. Both Uppik and Merv greatly enjoy walks in the woods and by the Duck Pond, and occasionally on the other side of the tennis courts with other faculty dogs.

Professor

As written in his faculty profile bio, Professor Moses has focused his research on “disaster and complex socio-ecological change.” He has participated in religious responses to the attacks of September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, and has worked with Nunatsiavut Inuit communities in northern Labrador, Canada on various issues “in the context of recent land claim settlements and large-scale resource extraction.”

Ben Horwitz ’17 has taken Professor Moses’s “Nature/Culture: An Introduction to Environmental Anthropology,” and wholeheartedly recommends the course to anyone wishing to explore the role of culture in addressing environmental issues.

Merv

Josh and the Dogs

Uppik

]]>http://haverfordclerk.com/professors-pooches-josh-and-uppick-and-merv/feed/0From the Archives: Students Protest Iraq Warhttp://haverfordclerk.com/from-the-archives-students-protest-iraq-war/
http://haverfordclerk.com/from-the-archives-students-protest-iraq-war/#commentsMon, 23 Mar 2015 05:46:59 +0000David Rozahttp://haverfordclerk.com/?p=4691Very few Haverfordians get arrested nowadays, but this article from the 2003 Bi-Co News recounts the experience of six students who were arrested for protesting the Iraq War, which started 12 years ago last Friday.

SIX HAVERFORD WAR PROTESTERS CHOOSE ARREST

April 1, 2003, Bi-Co News

It’s a rainy Wednesday night and the six Haverford war protesters, arrested on March 20, trudge down to the 800s of HCA to meet for a potluck supper. On the table is an array of food including colorful homemade pasta salad which incorporated all the colors of both the American and the Iraqi flags (with the exception of blue because there are very few blue foods). They are together for the first time since their arrest and are discussing how to tackle the legal consequences they face.

The first day after Bush announced the beginning of the war, six Haverford students–Elsa Noterman 06′, Sarah Morris ’05, Dana Ford, ’05, Nadja Eisenberg-Guyot ’06, Jamie Hanlon-Smith ’05, and Elizabeth (Yaya) Liem ’04–went into Philadelphia where they participated in a planned protest to block the Federal Building. For many of Haverford’s arrestees the act of civil disobedience had been planned about a month before, when they joined the Brandywine Peace Community in signing the Iraq Pledge of Resistance. The decision, however, was not an easy one to make for all of the participants. Noterman was debating her decision for about a week before the event, deciding only the night before to definitely go through with her plans.

Morris began planning this protest about a month ago when she met Bob Smith, a coordinator of the Brandywine Peace Coalition at a workshop. The protest was mostly organized through HAPI; however, Liem decided to participate only the Monday before the protest. Liem explained, “My choice to do civil disobedience was independent of the group.”

The protesters felt their act of civil disobedience was important for both pragmatic and symbolic reasons. The protesters felt they were successful in drawing attention to their cause. People who heard about it on the news, politicians who have offices in the building, and individuals attempting to access the building were all compelled by the circumstances of the protest to stop and think about the war. Morris recalled her “political awakening” in 10th grade when she saw the WTO protests in Seattle, and hopes that this protest may serve as such an awakening for others.

Additionally, Morris explained that the protest also had a lot of symbolic power. The government has violated its contract to protect her as a citizen and she needed a way of “actively withdrawing consent” from the government. Leim added that the protest was necessary to propel social change: “You always need a radical faction in order to move the collective consciousness in that direction.” Hanlon-Smith said, “I explored every other means of expressing my dissent—[this was the] last nonviolent option.” Ford emphasized that she did not want to get arrested but felt it was necessary in order to express her dissent.

Aside from the pragmatic and the symbolic, some felt civil disobedience was something they needed to do. Noterman explained, “It felt like the right thing to do in my heart.” Morris agreed, “Something inside told me it’s what I should do.”

Despite their confidence in their cause, the protesters explained that they were extremely nervous and uncertain of the consequences. Noterman said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in my life.” Both Ford and Hanlon-Smith had been arrested in the past and were worried about the consequences of being arrested for a second time. However, Ford (who was arrested earlier in the year for a war-related protest) did not weigh the consequences in her decision to be arrested. She explained that war is so damaging and has so many consequences that she could not weigh her personal consequences against the consequences of war. Hanlon-Smith agreed: “I’m 22 years old, and there are people younger than my age fighting and dying and killing for what they believe. The least I can do is risk my freedom.”

More than 100 people were arrested at the protest and Morris estimates that only about 20 of them were students. The group of protesters was diverse in both age and background. The Haverford protesters noted seeing a ninety-year old woman in a wheelchair, veterans, old women, religious leaders, and lawyers. Noterman shared a cell in jail with mostly older women and no Haverford students. Many of the older women couldn’t even remember how many times they had been arrested for civil disobedience. They shared stories about their “best” arrest, did yoga, and sang songs. Although they could not see the other cells, there was a great deal of energy and the cells chanted back and forth.

At the actual protest, the Haverford Affinity Group which was comprised of the six protesters, a student from Wesleyan, a Swarthmore student, and an adult from the Haverford Quaker Meeting House, stood in the rain for two hours before being arrested, according to Ford. Despite the cold, rainy weather, the protesters said it was easy to keep their morale up because of the energy of the 50 Haverford students who came to protest the war and support the arrestees. The 50 students stood approximately 20 meters away from the Haverford Affinity Group, according to Hanlon-Smith. The protesters all felt greatly indebted to the Haverford students who provided emotional and physical support. Not only did they dance around, sing, and chant but they brought the Haverford Affinity Group food, warm drinks, and clothing. According to Liem, “Having their support gave me a renewed faith in Haverford College’s activist movement.”

Morris describes that actual moment of arrest as extremely powerful. According to Hanlon-Smith the Affinity Group was given a three minute warning before arrest. At that point they linked arms and were cuffed (with plastic cuffs). While this was happening, the 50 Haverford students were yelling, chanting, and screaming in a way that Hanlon-Smith described as “inspiring.”

They face a $250 fine and were charged with a federal misdemeanor but several are determined not to pay the fine. According to Ford, “paying the fine is an admission of guilt.” Morris agrees and is quite reluctant to give money to the federal government which will likely go right back into sponsoring the war. The protesters plan to meet with lawyers this week to discuss the legal ramifications of their actions. They will consider a hearing where they will challenge the fine or attempt to replace the fine with community service hours. They will also discuss possibly requesting that the money be donated to a charitable organization.

]]>http://haverfordclerk.com/from-the-archives-students-protest-iraq-war/feed/0Presidential Search Could Go One of Two Wayshttp://haverfordclerk.com/presidential-search-could-go-one-of-two-ways/
http://haverfordclerk.com/presidential-search-could-go-one-of-two-ways/#commentsMon, 23 Mar 2015 05:45:02 +0000Katie Greifeldhttp://haverfordclerk.com/?p=4696President Daniel H. Weiss’ pending departure from Haverford has left many wondering about the future of Haverford’s leadership. Will students return next fall to be greeted by an interim president, or does Haverford hope to find a permanent president by the time classes start?

The answer lies with the Board of Managers, whose responsibilities to the College include selecting its President. “In this particular process, the Board is its own entity, and they are working in a confidential process,” said Jesse Lytle, Haverford’s Chief of Staff. “We do know that they feel a sense of urgency that we’ve instilled in them, because we all want to know what the future’s going to hold.”

According to Board Chair Howard W. Lutnick ‘83, that confidential process could go one of two ways: a directed search or a broad search. Since the Board was searching for a new president just a few years ago, it already has what Lutnick calls “a deep knowledge” of potential candidates who would be interested in the position. A directed search would draw from that pool, and would more likely produce an outcome by this July.

In the event that the Board decides to engage in a broader search process, it is likely that Haverford students would meet another interim president. Interim President Joanne Creighton took the helm from 2011-2013 while a search committee screened candidates, selecting Weiss in May 2012. Haverford would wait until July 2013 for Weiss to arrive so that he could fulfill his commitment to Lafayette College, where he was president at the time of his appointment.

Alumni reactions to Weiss’ announcement and upcoming departure have “run the gamut” from proud to betrayed, according to Ann West Figueredo ‘84, Vice President for Institutional Advancement.

“We’ve had ‘I can’t believe we waited for this guy for a year to finish up his commitment at Lafayette, and now why is he not giving us the same courtesy?’ To which I say, we were willing to wait for a year, and the Met wasn’t.”

Figueredo said that the average alumni response is that Weiss’ presidency was too brief. Weiss not only leaves Haverford, but the larger field of higher education. This has raised concerns about what the future of higher education may look like.

“What I’ve been saying to alums is to remember that Haverford is bigger than any one person and any one president, even a really great one,” said Figueredo.

Although the strategic plan was unveiled during Weiss’ tenure, neither Lytle, Lutnick, nor Figueredo believes that his departure will negatively affect the plan’s implementation.

“At this point, we’ve got plenty of momentum… it was not Dan’s plan, although he helped shepherd it along,” said Lytle. “That said, for that momentum to continue for the next chapter, we’ll want another president in place to keep it moving along.”